Category: Game Reviews
Straight-up reviews of officially released games, with a score
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Gex 64: Enter The Gecko
Developer: Crystal Dynamics Publisher: Midway Released: August 26, 1998 Rated: E 6/10 The only taste N64 owners would get from seminal late ‘90s developer Crystal Dynamics would come in the form of a wise-cracking, couch-potato lizard by the name of Gex. The second Gex title (and first title in the series in 3D), Enter the… Read more
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Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr.
Developer: Angel Studios Publisher: Nintendo Released: May 31, 1998 Rated: E 7/10 Nintendo hands over the reins on their baseball franchise to a third developer in as many iterations, looking to keep things rolling after top-tier output from Software Creations and Rare on the Super Nintendo. From the N64’s US-centric “dream team” of second-party designers,… Read more
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Bust-A-Move 2: Arcade Edition
Developer: Taito Publisher: Acclaim Released: May 20, 1998 Rated: E 7/10 Though Nintendo’s puzzle requirements had been previously handled by the likes of Tetris and Dr. Mario, Bust-A-Move, aka Puzzle Bobble, was already a major player in the genre by the time the N64 arrived. A big hit in arcades, where Taito had previously had… Read more
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Heiwa Pachinko World 64
Developer: Shouei System Publisher: Amtex Released: November 28, 1997 2/10 From the category of games that are largely culturally irrelevant in the West, pachinko simulators were nothing new to the gaming world by 1997. A cross between slot machines and pinball, pachinko essentially fills the role of the former, as cash gambling is illegal in… Read more
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Olympic Hockey ’98
Developer: Treyarch Publisher: Midway Released: February 23, 1998 Rated: E 4/10 Okay, now this is just lame, Midway. If you haven’t done so first, check out the profiles of the two Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey titles, where you’ll find a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for the first game, and a noticeable reduction of this enthusiasm… Read more
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Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey ’98
Developer: Software Creations Publisher: Midway Released: December 4, 1997 Rated: E 7/10 Okay, so I had a lot of good things to say about the first entry in the Gretzky 3D series. And sure, all of those things are still true about Gretzky 98. But stop me if you’ve heard this one before: there isn’t… Read more
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Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey
Developer: Atari Games Publisher: Midway Released: November 11, 1996 Rated: E 8/10 Following on from the even more “NBA Jam on ice” vibes of 1995’s NHL Open Ice, also published by Midway, Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey furthers the evolution of Midway’s arcade sports titles that are represented in a more well-known sense via NBA Jam… Read more
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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Developer: Nintendo EAD Publisher: Nintendo Released: November 21, 1998 Rated: E 10/10 Nothing is ever as hard to talk about in these profiles, or ever has been for me in retrospectives, streaming commentary, or social media commentary, than to talk about the games on the N64 where the reputation most precedes them. It’s hard to… Read more
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F1 World Grand Prix
Developer: Paradigm Entertainment Publisher: Video System Released: July 27, 1998 Rated: E 7/10 My first profile for this project addressing a genre/style that I don’t feel I can truly analyze alone, F1 World Grand Prix is likely the finest example of a serious/sports-influenced racing simulation to be found on the system. Even without knowing the… Read more
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Eikō no Saint Andrews
Developer: SETA Corporation Publisher: SETA Corporation Released: November 29, 1996 5/10 The first golf title released on the N64, Eikō no Saint Andrews takes advantage of the hardware with a 3D modeled representation of The Old Course, but unfortunately does little else to make it worthwhile. Though certainly playable, both for an import title as… Read more